Inferno
by Fink
Summary: An OLD story I wrote over three night way back in '98. Basic plot - everybody dies. Perhaps not my best work, but its the only one I've finished to date. Constructive critizism is welcome for a potential re-write.


Inferno  
By Grant Cravens  
  
Forward and Legal Crap.  
This story borders fan fiction and a plain furry story   
(sonic is never mentioned, but others are in it).   
This story takes place as the alternate ending for my   
Sonic the Hedgehog fan fiction series. There are some   
characters in this story that are not found in the StH   
comic books or cartoon series. Some of the words and   
phrases may be different to some people, i.e. religious   
figures may or may not be capitalized, depending on the   
characters using these words. And, to make things   
easier, they will be listed by name.  
I'd like to 'thank' Wedge, for helping me edit this.  
If you wish to contact me, my email is   
INSNR8@mindless.com.  
Charactes by Grant Cravens  
Jeremy Kyle Adraan  
Age: 15  
Species: Fox, male  
Background: Was trapped in the void with King Acorn for  
11 years of his life. He just recently made in back onto Mobius, and helped the Freedom Fighters take  
down Packbell.  
  
Tanya Gimble  
Age: 30  
Species: Human, female  
Background: Commander of the UNAF (United Nations Armed   
Forces) from Earth. Helped Freedom Fighters take down Packbell.  
  
Nexus  
Age: 15  
Species: Coyote, female  
Background: Nexus is an orphan from the general region   
of south Mobius. She is relitivly unknown in Knothole,   
and is friend to Jeremy.  
  
Odyssey  
Age: 14  
Species: Lynx, female  
Background: Resident of Tails' native village, Bluebrook,   
and girlfriend of M.D. Windward. Member of Sigma.  
  
Tycho "Furball" Reznor  
Age: 11  
Species: Cat, male  
Background: Vocal cords were taken out by Robotnik as a   
reminder of his power. He is shy, and often is by   
himself. Member of Sigma.  
  
Bryan Taylor  
Age: 14  
Species: Wolf, male  
Background: Very little is known about Bryan. All that   
is known is he is from Earth, and is a very good friend   
of Mike Fuhr. Leader of the air team, Sigma.  
  
Ty Unix  
Age: 14  
Species: Wolf/fox, female  
Background: From the village Greentree, Ty is an expert   
mechanic. Her brother was killed by Packbell. Girlfriend   
and soul mate to Bryan Taylor. Member of Sigma.  
  
By Wedge Dantillies  
Wedge Dantillies  
Age: 15  
Species: Fox/flying squirrel, male  
Background: Wedge is a drifter, and an orphan. He is   
relitivly unknown in Knothole.  
  
By Tre Duffy  
Mike Fuhr  
Age: 14  
Species: Rat, male  
Background: Very little is known about Mike, also. He   
is the friend of Bryan, and also from Earth. Member of   
Sigma.  
  
By Casey Bennett  
M.D. Windward  
Age: 14  
Species: Flying Squirrel, male  
Background: MD's family lived in Axis Station, by the   
Great Unknown. They were killed by MD's best friend.   
MD is now suicidal. Member of Sigma.  
  
By Leia Weathington  
Foxy Quicksilver  
Age: 15  
Species: Fox, female  
Background: Foxy was a member of the Mobius Bounty   
Hunter Legion. She helped the Freedom Fighters with   
negotiations with the UNAF.   
  
By Eric Goodwin  
Sir Kain  
  
By Ryan Huber  
Ryan Huber  
  
By David Pistone  
Commander Packbell  
  
Other members of Sigma  
Artie Prower by Mike Reves  
EG Foxfire by Carol Schneeweiss  
Tiffany Fox by Besch Rose  
Azy by Jessica Heyl  
  
By Sega, Archie Comics, and DiC  
Miles "Tails" Prower  
Bunnie Rabbot  
Sally Acorn  
Dr. Robotnik  
Geoffrey St. John  
  
Inferno  
  
This whole thing started four days ago, jesus, it   
seems like longer. No one really expected anything, it   
had appeared as dark clouds on the horizon. It scared   
the hell out of me, truthfully. They seemed so harmless   
as they stirred ominously over the mountain range, but   
I felt something in them. It was a feeling like no other,   
like I had been hit in the stomach one to many times.  
  
Day 1  
  
I knew something was wrong that morning, I awoke at   
six. The sun wasn't even up yet, but I was wide awake.   
And there was that feeling. After trying to fall back   
asleep for an hour, I left my hut, and began to wander   
the village.   
Everything seemed usual, except for the fact that   
no one was around. Everyone was asleep, Knothole looked   
like a ghost town. But, everything else was normal. I   
glanced into Bryan's hut (the door was open), to find Ty  
curled in a tight ball next to him. Ty would do that to   
him, she'd slip into his hut while he was asleep, and fall   
asleep next to him. Nothing ever happened, Ty would just   
sleep, an opportunity to be close to Bryan. And, of course,   
Bryan never minded.  
I stopped by Nexus' hut, and peered in. She was sleeping   
peacefully in her bed. I had begun to feel close to Nexus   
lately, but she doesn't know yet. And I wanted to be close,   
but I didn't know what to do, or say. I just ended up acting   
like an idiot around her. But I wanted to be close to her,   
to feel her fur against mine.  
I sighed wishfully, when I noticed Tails standing by   
the cliff. He was holding a pair of binoculars, which   
he used to peer out towards the mountains.   
"Something's not right, Jay," He said to me, as I   
walked to him. He didn't even turn his head. "Those clouds,  
I have a bad feeling about them."  
I did too, but said nothing. By 0800 hours, everybody   
was up in Knothole and stirring about. Nexus found me,   
and, much to my surprise wrapped her arms around me. She   
was crying.   
"I had the worst dream," She told me, burying her face   
into my neck. I, of course, was only half listening. I   
was enjoying the physical contact.   
Nexus told me her dream, how she was locked in the   
former Tower 1a, I was in the cell next to her. Packbell   
was there, holding a very large gun. He pulled me out   
of the cell, and threw me on the floor in front of Nexus.   
He then placed the gun against my head, and proceeded   
to blow it off! I could see why she was so upset.   
Nexus wasn't the only one who had bad dreams, though.   
Ty was one, it was similar to Nexus's. Bunnie locked herself   
in her hut, and cried for hours. Mike also had a nightmare,   
but he refused to talk about it.  
By 1200 hours the clouds, or the Inferno as Bryan   
called it, had seeped down into the Great Valley. The   
UNAF, as well as the village of Greentree, was located   
there. A very concerned Commander Tanya Gimble landed   
in Knothole, with a plan to send a probe down inside the   
Inferno. Sally and Tanya talked for about forty minutes   
about the full plan, and agreed to it. Twenty minutes   
later, a team of mechanics landed with a box the size of   
a small table. They called it Darkstar, a reconacence   
droid, which they say was used in some gulf war. Ty   
instantly recruited herself to help assemble the machine,   
while the others simply stood and waited.  
While the mechanics team assembled the droid, another   
team landed. This one was security, which almost imeaditly   
worried Sally. They brought a small magnetic tape player,   
which Mike said he hadn't seen in years. It was a recorded   
message from the village of Greentree.   
"This is ...reentree calling Base Concord," There was a   
burst of static. "omething coming from the south...louds.   
It's terrible. Everybody's dead...the only one left.   
It's here. It killed them all. It's goin' to kill me...you've   
gotta' help me." There was a loud *thump*, and a painful   
scream, followed by the sound of tearing flesh.  
The room was very quiet after this. No one moved,   
no one said anything. We were afraid to. One of the   
soldiers explained that they had received the message   
less than an hour ago. When they tried to respond, they   
got no answer. Thinking quickly, they brought it up here.  
Sally put us on a silence conspiracy, we weren't aloud   
to tell anyone what we had heard.   
In the mean time, the UNAF sent Darkstar down into   
the Inferno, hoping to find what killed the man on the   
radio. At about 1500 hours, Darkstar entered Inferno.   
We, the same people who heard the Greentree message, gathered   
around a small monitor, watching the landscape unfold   
before us.  
Everyone was dead.   
At first no one could believe it, they refused to.   
But, all of us came to accept that every one was dead.   
The huts were burnt to the ground, charred bodies hung   
on the skeletons of the buildings. The bodies were incomplete,  
some missing legs, some, arms. There were even some without   
heads. I felt sick, but oddly, I didn't want to leave.   
Darkstar suddenly swerved, and began to spiral towards the   
ground. Tanya tried fiercely to bring it under control;   
Darkstar slammed itself into the ground, and then pulled   
back into the air. Again, the craft hit the ground, and   
dug it self in. With one last terrifying view of the village,   
the camera on the plane flickered, and died.   
Again, silence. This was bigger than any of us thought.   
Tanya instantly demanded the tape of the Darkstar flight,  
to see what took down the craft. As she was reviewing   
it, she made a frightening discovery.  
"Wait," She said to the controller, who imeaditly halted   
the tape. Tanya pointed to a small dot on the screen.   
"Can you enlarge this?" She asked the operator. He did.   
"Keep going," said Tanya, very interested in the object.  
The operator zoomed the camera closer, until the object   
was just a dark smudge on the screen. "Enhance it, please."  
The controller hit a few keys, and the object began to   
become clear.  
It was another body. "Can you advance a few frames?"   
The body began to move. Not in the dying person style,   
it was walking. It was walking very smoothly. But, no   
matter how much the body was enhanced, no clear features   
could be made out. The resolution was clear enough to   
look at the texture of the bark on the trees around it,   
but the body's figure was unintelligible.  
By 1700 hours, the Inferno was moving up the side   
of the cliff.   
Sally called a full evacuation.  
  
Day 2  
  
The dream was unlike all the others I've had. It was   
terrifying, like a glimpse into the future. I saw a city,   
like one of the one's Bryan told me about. There were cars,   
buses, people, moving and working just as Bryan had described   
them. I saw children playing in a park. They had no   
idea what was about to happen.  
It was like an extremely bright strobe light, but,   
somehow I could see. The cloud rose a mile, it was shaped   
like a mushroom. A mushroom cloud. The heat hit everybody   
at the same time, shriveling their bodies, killing them   
all. The shock wave came almost imeaditly after, tearing   
the cars off the freeway, ripping the buildings apart,   
and wiping out the entire city.   
I awoke covered with cold sweat. And, again, all   
around the camp, people were having nightmares. This   
time, I just didn't care. I had my own problems, as   
selfish as it sounded, but it was true. My goal was to   
get as far away from Knothole as I possibly could. But,   
I was there.   
Sally posted us on the Floating Island.   
At noon, Sally sent a rescue mission into the Inferno,   
to get those who didn't get out right away. Sir Kain lead   
the first group, which consisted of him, Ryan, Mike, and Bryan.   
The other group was lead by a human from the UNAF. I didn't   
know anyone in the second group. They left in two shuttles.  
Only one came back. Bryan and Sir Kain were slumped in   
the passenger area, Ryan piloted the ship. All three looked   
exhausted. They wouldn't talk about what happened.   
Sally placed a sign-up sheet on a nearby tree, this   
mission would be voluntary. Bryan signed up imeaditly,   
followed by Sir Kain, Ryan, and Sigma. I did, too. I   
felt sorry for Bryan, he had lost his best friend, and   
only living memory of Earth. Bryan was trying his best   
to hide his feelings, but they were slipping through. He   
looked vengeful, and it scared me.  
I remembered the time Sally told me about Zero. It   
seems that Bryan has a mild case of split personalities.   
He requires an object, or a certain feeling, or both,   
to trigger the effect. Bryan died of the Fateless virus.   
He was only dead for about ten minutes, his body was   
resetting itself. When he came to, he had no recollection   
of his life before, just fabrications of others'. He   
helped track down and kill spies working for Packbell.   
And he called himself Zero. That was the look he had   
on his face.   
I tented alone that night. I had no dreams.  
  
Day 3  
  
I awoke early that morning, and spent the morning just   
thinking. I thought about my life, how I spent 11 years in the void,   
how I was fortunate enough to make it back alive, how   
the Inferno suddenly changed my view on life. Things   
were happening down there, things that couldn't possibly   
be good. And I thought about Nexus, the feelings I had   
for her. I never told her I was going down into the Inferno.   
I never told her that I may not make it back. I never   
told her how much I cared for her at that moment.   
I was placed on Sir Kain's team, which consisted of   
Ryan, Bryan, MD, Furball, Wedge, and me. The other team   
was commanded by Geoffrey St. John, which consisted of   
the rest of Sigma, save EG. As we were being shuttled   
down to the landing site, I glanced over at Bryan, who   
looked quite frightened.   
"What's wrong," I asked.  
He looked at me with the most guilt-stricken look I   
have ever seen.   
"Jay," he said to me, "some of us aren't coming back   
from this mission."  
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.   
"We're not going down there to rescue anybody, they're   
all dead. We're going down to recover the bodies. Jay,   
this is very serious. I don't expect to live down there   
for more than an hour. That all the time we have. One   
hour to find five bodies. One hour to find five WHOLE   
bodies..."  
What ever Bryan said after that just rang hollow in   
my hears, I blacked out.  
  
When I came to my senses, I was leaning against a   
tree, Bryan trying to move me. He said something very   
rushed, and hit me a few times. After I was fully   
awake, he pulled me to my feet, and screamed "THEY'RE COMING!"   
into my ear. We fled to a nearby hut, where Ryan and Sir Kain   
were already hiding. They weren't alone.   
On a table in the back was a body. It was Mike. He   
had been cut from the top of his torso, down to the groin   
area. His organs were taken out, and all were missing,   
except his heart. It was on the table in front of him.  
It was still beating.  
It was still beating!  
On cue, there was a groan from the body. Mike sat up,   
and opened his eye lids. He had no eyes!   
At this point, I couldn't take anymore, fled from the   
hut, and vomited in some nearby bushes. Blaster shots rang   
inside the hut, and, very slowly, Bryan, Sir Kain, and Ryan   
left the building. They slumped down next to me. I noticed  
Bryan had a very large cut on his cheek. He explained that   
when he had tried to help Mike, Mike tried to kill him.   
They killed the body.  
We met up with the rest of the groups 15 minutes later   
in an abandoned hut. And we waited. Nothing came. And we   
waited for an hour, and nothing came. After about three   
hours, Bryan finally became impatient, and took St. John   
and Tails with him to find a radio. They never came back.   
Taking a very large gun with me, I went out to find them.   
After about ten minutes of searching, I a came to a   
hut with it's door blow open. Cautiously, I made my way   
inside. I stepped in the remains of some poor soul.   
The fur was scattered out around the room, it was black,   
with white streaks. There was a green blood stained scarf   
in the corner. It was Geoffrey St. John.  
Moving closer into the room, I discovered Tails.   
Blood mixed with his orange and white fur. I checked   
his pulse. He was dead. A moan came from the far corner   
of the room. I moved closer, my gun drawn.  
It was Bryan. He lay on his back, clutching his chest.   
He was bleeding very badly.   
"Bryan, what happened," I asked.  
"The little prick tried to kill me," his voice was   
just above a whisper. He smiled. Bryan was crazy.   
"You need help," I said, trying to lift him.   
"You don't get it, Jay. It's too late for me." He   
closed his eyes. "It's been real." And he died. I sat   
back, still holding Bryan in my arms. At least four   
people were dead, and I knew I would go soon.  
  
I got back to the clearing just as the last of the   
landing shuttles took off. A human helicopter was left,   
Ty was waving me in.  
"Where's Furball?" she shouted over the drone of the   
chopper.  
"I thought he was with you," I said back. Ty shook   
her head. I turned back to go find him, but she pulled   
me back.   
"It's too dangerous." With that, the door slid shut,   
and the copter lifted off the ground.   
  
Day 4   
  
Nexus was dead when I got back. They said the cause   
was very extraordinary, a massive nervous system failure.   
I didn't think suck a thing could exist, but it did. I   
spent the rest of the night in shock, not crying, just   
in shock. Nexus had been my first real friend, I could   
tell her anything. Now she was dead.  
I wasn't the only one that lost some one, though. I   
walked past a makeshift operating room, one the humans   
had setup. Odyssey was on the table. She was dead before   
I walked by. Ty was holding MD in her arms, who was crying   
hysterically.  
And the casualty list was huge. Bryan, Tails, St. John,   
Wedge, Mike, the first rescue team, and Furball. All   
were dead.  
I was so caught up with all this that I hardly noticed   
some one walk up behind me.   
"I'm sorry about Nexus," she said. It was Foxy.  
I nodded, but said nothing.  
"They just found MD's body, he killed himself."  
Nothing.  
"Jay, did you hear me? MD is dead. He blew his   
brains out! Jay, people are dying!"  
"I know," I said. "I'm going back down." I told   
her, almost proudly.  
"You can't!" Foxy yelped. "You'll be killed!"  
"I have nothing left." I was saying this very calmly,   
and it scared me.  
Foxy took my hand. "Jay, stay here. You have friends   
here."  
I just shook my head. "They're all dead. I have nothing   
left." And with that, I stood, and left.  
  
Ty was in the weapon room when I got there, mumbling   
about something. She hardly noticed me when I came in,   
and pulled a gun on me.  
"I'm going down," I told her. She lowered the gun,   
which was pressed against my head. Ty said nothing, handed   
me a very large gun, and motioned me to follow her. We   
entered a landing craft, and ventured down into the Inferno.  
  
Our landing had been expected. When we touched down,   
the craft was instantly surrounded. It was surrounded   
by people, all of the them were deformed. They were missing   
limbs, some were missing eyes, others had been disemboweled.   
Every thing else was a blur, what I remember is just   
bits and pieces. I know a few shots were fired.   
They lead us to an abandoned hut, and left us there.   
After about ten minutes, I passed out from pain.  
  
I awoke some time later, Ty curled up at my side.   
She was shaking and whimpering, which was odd for Ty.   
She was scared, and nothing scared her.  
I then noticed the figure in the corner, which, I   
assumed, had been standing there for quite some time.   
It was Furball. I sighed when I saw him, I was glad  
he was still alive. He cautiously approached us, he had   
always been timid.  
"Hello Mr. Adraan," he said, "It's good to see you   
again."  
I could feel the blood run out of my face.   
Furball was talking!  
At this point, I realized that Furball was no longer   
in existence.  
"I've been expecting you."  
I was shaking now, I was truly frightened. I tried   
to say anything that would communicate with the thing   
inside Furball.   
"Leave us alone," I whimpered. That was the best I   
could do.  
The thing turned away from us, and laughed under   
it's breath.  
"I'm afraid I can't do that. I have . . .plans for   
you two."   
"What have you done to Furball," I demanded in the   
best voice I could. It still sounded pretty weak.   
"Hmmm? Oh, you mean Tycho," It smiled. "Tycho is   
fine, for now. He makes a great host, Mr. Adraan. He   
is. . .special, for a lack of better words. He can see   
things others can't, he can hear things others can't.   
Pity the others, Mr. Adraan. Pity the others before Tycho,  
the others that weren't strong enough for me."  
"The others?" I whimpered.  
"The first one was a rat, Mike I think his name was.   
He killed himself trying to get me out. Miles the fox,   
he was next. He couldn't handle me, and lashed out in a   
blind rage. I didn't kill hi, though, the wolf did that.   
I left just before they killed each other. Then there   
was the girl, I believe you knew her, Mr. Adraan."  
"Nexus," I whispered, rage building up inside of me.  
"You did!" The thing squealed with delight.  
"You bustard!" I growled. Ty tightened her grip on   
me, trying to keep me from doing anything irrational.  
The room was quiet for several seconds, before the   
thing spoke again.  
"Well, then, you two have work to do." He motioned   
for us to follow him.  
I stood, but Ty stayed where she was. Her ankle was twisted   
in an odd way. The thing saw this, and came over.   
"Well, this is not going to do," It said, frustrated.  
"Let her go," I said without thinking. Ty looked at   
me, as if to say, "What the hell are you thinking?".  
"Let her go," I repeated. "Trade her for some one   
else, keep me here, just let her go."  
The thing thought for a second, then said, "She may go,"   
It's voice was softer, as if some one else had taken over,   
"But you, Mr. Adraan, will stay."  
  
The landing craft came half an hour later. As it   
was touching down, Ty whispered to me, "Run, right now.   
Leave this place, I'll send another landing craft to get you."  
"I can't," I whispered back," It'll know."  
The craft landed softly on the ground, and the door   
slid open. A female cat stepped out, and helped Ty in. The door slid shut, and the craft left.  
I was alone.  
"Come along, Mr. Adraan. YOU have work to do." The   
thing said.  
I was lead past workers, people I had known, people   
who were alive not a week ago. Their bodies were there,   
they weren't. In fact, their bodies were going, too.   
Some were missing limbs, some had been disemboweled, some   
were missing eyes. And it seemed I shared their fate.   
I was wrong, though. I was lead into a hut with   
multiple rooms, and place in the one in the very middle.   
Slowly, the door shut, and I began to work.  
  
Day 5  
  
The room I was in had, simply, a table, a chair, a candle,   
a stack of paper, and a type writer. My instructions   
were simple; type what you had seen. I have been. It seems   
like I've been doing it for hours, maybe even a day.  
I'm tired, I haven't slept in almost 24 hours. My   
fingers hurt, my eyes hurt, my entire body aches. I   
know I'm going to die. I should have listened to Foxy,   
I wasn't thinking rationally then. Perhaps, though, I was   
being influenced. Maybe we all were.  
I once heard a saying that went, "Did God create man,   
or did man create God?" Up until now, I believed the latter. This   
is a different time, now. Maybe there is a higher power.   
If there is, though, it's not interested in caring for us.   
It makes sense, the innocent victims, the sense less killings,   
the questions that weren't asked.  
I don't know what the thing is in Furball, I can only   
give an educated guess. It appears to be a parasite,   
feeding off the person somehow. It is far more intelligent   
than any of us on this planet. It also seems to feed off   
of pain, also.   
Oh, god. There's two of them, the mindless slaves for the   
thing. They're behind me, they're just waiting. I don't   
know what for, but it can't possibly be good. It is clear   
to me that my time here is running down. I'd better   
finish this very soon.   
This was written by Jeremy Kyle Adra  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
